1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to improvement of manufacturing yields and quality control testing procedures. More specifically, the present invention discloses a system and method for identifying and correcting defects in manufactured items which may be fabricated in several different locations, hard disk drives being one example of such a manufactured item.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Manufacturing is becoming an increasingly global activity. A product may be designed in one country and then the final product may be produced in one or more other countries around the world. Hard Disk Drives (HDD) are one example of this globalization of production, as the design of the product may take place in the United States, but the fabrication of the read-write heads may take place in a second country and the final assembly may take place in a third. Of course, product reliability is essential for any manufacturer that cares about keeping market share. Although the globalization of the manufacturing process may have advantages in terms of costs, it presents other challenges in terms of producing reliable items, and in identifying the source of defects or problems. To ensure the quality, then, of their products, manufacturers must have a comprehensive quality control system and methods.
As parts are made in one location and shipped to another for assembly, it is important that the parts and assemblies are traceable so that problems may be identified and corrected. This is a task that would have been overwhelming or impossible in the past, but fortunately the use of computers and databases is making this task more feasible.
However, there remains a need for a comprehensive system for identifying and correcting problems in a global manufacturing environment.